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Through honest storytelling, spiritual reflection, and practical wisdom gained from a pilgrimage journey, Andy and Kara Root offer parents and pastors a refreshing alternative to the exhausting cycle of trying to control outcomes.

Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy makes the case that the best approach to this question is investigating how Jesus interacted with the Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots throughout the Gospels.

By appealing to maternal concerns about what kids eat or learn and offering a sense of clarity, community, and stability, conservative influencers are creating an on-ramp for political engagement framed as part of a spiritual war.

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Church

Despite the growth of trauma-informed ministry, religious leaders believe that more needs to be done for the church and other sacred spaces to be healthy, safe places of connection for congregations.

Theologian Candice Marie Benbow said, ‘We live at this intersection of being Black faith people and Black people who are in Greek letter organizations who are committed to communal uplift.’

On Thursday (Oct. 31), Curry, 71, completed his nine-year term as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, and it’s his casual style and his capacity to adapt and improvise that may be his signature.

Nation

‘God is with us, and God will never leave us,’ Abrego told the crowd. ‘God will bring justice to all of the injustice that we are suffering.’

Alongside fundamentalist giants like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, he became a force in the 1980s for pushing conservative Christian ideals in mainstream American politics.

On Thursday, a delegation of religious leaders from Arkansas gathered at the state capitol in Little Rock to implore Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders not to resume state-sanctioned executions — specifically those using the method of gas asphyxiation.

World

Nicaragua’s government released a prominent Catholic bishop and 18 other clergy members imprisoned in a crackdown by President Daniel Ortega and handed them over to Vatican authorities who welcomed them in Rome. 

This issue of A Public Witness takes a look at past efforts from Christian clergy to bless weapons of war before returning to a current conflict to hear from a pastor in the little town of Bethlehem.

Orthodox Christians packed churches Saturday night for Christmas Eve services during ongoing conflicts including the Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas wars.

Editorials

Brian KaylorThe forced resignation of Patrick Conroy as chaplain for the U.S. House of Representatives quickly sparked questions and concerns about the intermingling of religion and politics. Some lawmakers believe Speaker Paul Ryan pushed

Brian KaylorWatching the news Saturday night as missiles from the United States, United Kingdom and France struck Syria, I found myself pondering questions about the attack — and about how Christians should react

Brian KaylorMyanmar pastorsOn Christmas Eve of 2016, the military of Myanmar detained two Baptist pastors. We’ve

Word&Way Voices

Evangelicals place great stress on the authority of the Bible and have often labeled their interpretation “the biblical view.” Contributing writer Rodney Kennedy outlines the problems with this framing and offers some helpful tips for combating it.

Dr. Gregory Shay, a pediatric pulmonologist, deliberates on anecdotes of sickness and tragedy through a faith-based lens, arguing that it is inherently Christian to show solidarity with vulnerable populations — especially children.

David Rice examines faith healing through the lens of both denominational differences between Baptists and the Assemblies of God as well as his personal struggles living with a disability.

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness uncovers the history of using and opposing landmines to consider how Biden’s new policy move destroys the moral high ground he often tried to claim during his presidency.

This issue of A Public Witness considers the act of removing a saint and what it might teach us about other religious symbols that have also been co-opted.

This issue of A Public Witness looks at the failed efforts to convert White evangelicals in the ballot box and what it means going forward.

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Recent Episodes

Books

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Azusa Reimagined: A Radical Vision of Religious and Democratic Belonging by Keri Day. The book explores how the Azusa Street Revival that began in Los Angeles in 1906 served as the foundation of Pentecostalism and the

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Freeing Jesus: Rediscovering Jesus as Friend, Teacher, Savior, Lord, Way, and Presence by Diana Butler Bass. This book is her attempt to free Jesus from the captivity she has experienced in life and in doing so

We review a book each month at A Public Witness and for this installment, Beau Underwood examines and recommends Beth Allison Barr's The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth. He also discusses some

Robert D. Cornwall reviews Indigenous Theology and the Western Worldview: A Decolonized Approach to Christian Doctrine by Randy S. Woodley. This book serves as a helpful introduction for those who are not familiar with an indigenous/Native American vision of Christianity